Knowing Ava
by KittieKat121
Summary: After searching the corners of the world for his soulfinder, the last thing Victor Benedict expected was to run into her right in the middle of Denver. Ava, with a power that could keep them apart, and a past that could destroy them, will stop at nothing to keep her soulfinder safe...even if that means leaving forever.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey! So this is my first Finding Sky fanfiction, and I'm really not sure about it...I've decided to post the first three chapters on here and see what the response is, then decide whether to continue. It features Victor and my OC, Ava. It's fairly Canon, except it ignores Crystals prediction forego Victor's soulfinder will be...apart from that i tried to stick to the books. I hope you enjoy and please give me some feedback so I know whether or not to continue. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter One**

Flicking on the coffee machine, I stifled a yawn as I crossed the apartment and glanced out the window. It looked like it was going to snow soon, bringing the dreaded winter season once again.

I went back into my bedroom to study my wardrobe, finally deciding on fashionable rather than practical. I'll be freezing in my skirt and flimsy shirt, but they're new and I haven't had a chance to wear them yet. Besides, no pain no gain, right?

The fresh coffee smell filled the apartment and I smiled. I put the drink in a travel cup and sip as I grab my keys and rush for the door. Being late on my first day of my new job wouldn't be a great start, after all.

I reach the restaurant with seconds to spare. Lindsay meets me at the door, "For Christ's sake, Ava, I didn't get you this job so you could screw it up on the first day!"

"I'm not late!" I protest.

"You should be here EARLY. Being on time means you ARE late." Lindsay said guiding me inside.

"Well that defies all logic-" I began.

"Ava!" She snapped. I half heartedly listened as she talked me through the job, which was basically just another waitressing gig. She lets me loose on the floor after the first hour, notepad at the ready.

I approach one table surrounded by a seven noisy boys and five girls who seemed to be constantly either showing great affection or great annoyance towards the boys. I throw on my best waitress smile, although inside I cringe at the thought of such a long order. "Hi, how are you doing this afternoon?"

"We're doing awesome." One of the boys told me with a grin. He had his arm around a tall girl with unusual hair. "having a kids family reunion before we head to the folks' place later."

"Less of the kids, please." Another boy said. When I really look at the group, only a few of them look under twenty one, the rest fully grown adults.

They all place their orders and I scribble them down. I took the order into the kitchen where Lindsay corners me, "So not fair, Ava, your first day on the job and you get the hottest table we've ever had!"

I shrug, sneaking a look at the table, "They're kinda attractive."

"Ava." Lindsay said seriously, staring at me, "They're Gods."

She persuades me to give her the table and I move on to a different area. I work the late shift, not leaving the restaurant until half past ten. It's dark outside, and what I had predicted as snow had turned out to be rain. Thick, heavy sheets of the stuff. I curse my own stupidity at my outfit choice; I never had been very good at thinking ahead. Within seconds I'm drenched and I've still got a twenty minute walk before I get home.

The restaurant door jingles open behind me and a chorus of chatter and laughing makes its way out of the restaurant. Glancing back, I see it's the table I gave to Lindsay. I look back to the long journey ahead of me and sigh.

"Hey, are you okay?" A voice said behind me. I turn to see one of the boys, the eldest one by the looks of it. He's holding the hand of a pretty girl with Egyptian-like features. "Do you need a ride somewhere?"

"I'm fine, thank you." I said, forcing a smile.

"It's dark out and you're all alone." The boy commented, "Don't you think that's a little dangerous?"

"I can handle myself." I said as politely as I could.

"But-" He began.

"Leave the poor girl alone, Officer Trace, you're off duty." The girl attached to his hand said with a smile. She looked at me, "Sure you don't want a ride? Promise we're not serial killers."

"I'm getting picked up in a second." I lied.

Behind Officer Trace and who I assumed was his girlfriend, the others were watching me. One boy in particular was starting at me in what looked like awe, but that didn't make any sense. He had a girl whispering in each ear. I have amazing hearing, but I could only pick up the odd word. The short blonde one said something to do with 'lying' and the tall curly haired one mentioned the word 'soulfinder'. I observed them in a new light; they were savants.

"Well, have a nice night." Trace said a little reluctantly. He clearly thought I was crazy being out here by myself late at night in the dark.

"You too." I said, turning away as they started to leave.

"Hey," A voice said softly from behind me. I turn to see the guy that had been looking at me whilst the girls spoke to him.

"I'm fine, really." I said before he could offer me a ride again.

"You're soaked, you must be freezing. Take my coat." He said, slipping off his coat and trying to put it around me. I step away from him.

"I can't take your coat." I told him.

He smiled, "I insist." I shake my head, "Think of it as a loan, then."

He drapes the coat over my shoulders and starts jogging away before I can give it back. "Wait!"

He doesn't, and I glare at his retreating figure. A loan? How am I supposed to give it back when I don't even know his name let alone where to find him?!

Now that I'm stuck with it, I might as well take advantage of it. I wrap it around me as I walk and instantly feel warmer. It smells nice, like clove and cinnamon - spicy and sweet at the same time. When I catch myself thinking about the smell of this guy's coat, I actually stop walking. WHY am I thinking about that?!

The walk home doesn't take quite as long as usual, even despite the dreaded rain. Water and I don't really mix, especially when it's hurtling towards me from the heavens above. I let myself into the apartment and lock the door, chucking the keys onto the kitchen counter. I peel off my layers, hanging the strangers coat up to dry, then slip into bed with a yawn; it's been a hell of a long day. Getting cosy, I use my power to flick off the light and quickly fall asleep.

~o.O.o~

The first thing I saw when I woke up was the coat hanging across from my bed. I frown at it. Why did he just randomly give me his coat? I didn't even know him! More importantly, how was I going to return it? He'd said it was on loan, implying I had to give it back.

Maybe he'd send his police officer brother searching for me if I didn't. I laugh at my own absurdity that he'd care so much about a coat which he was so willing to give away to a random girl. Then I stop - Officer Trace! Maybe if I look up cops in Denver under the name Trace, then I'd get at least a last name to go on. It's a long shot, but I hate debts and I just want to give the coat back already.

I pull myself out of bed and walk over to the jacket. It's quite stylish, simple and black but fashionable at the same time. Curiosity getting the better of me, I search the pockets. I find half a pack of gum, a crumpled receipt from the grocery store, a few loose coins, and...ah! A business card!

It's plain white, and on one side printed in black is a number and the name Victor Benedict. There's no company logo or business name, just white card. It's a little mysterious.

I grab my phone then pause...what would I even say to him?! I decide on texting, rather than calling, in the end to give myself time to think before responses.

 **Guess you'll be wanting your coat back...**

I don't have to wait long for a response;

 **Good morning.**

I glance at the clock; it's actually more like afternoon. I slept pretty late and in just a few minutes it will be midday.

I read the message again. It's so casual, not even mentioning the coat or asking who the hell I am.

 **So...Victor Benedict?**

 **I see someone's been going through my pockets.**

I feel guilty and embarrassed at being caught acting so nosily, but then I realise he must have meant for this to happen when he gave me the coat.

 **Forgive me, I couldn't quite work out how else to communicate with you.**

There's a pause, and then;

 **Telepathically?**

I stare at the word. Was he joking? Or did he know I was a savant? I hadn't given them any indication, had I?

I decided to respond with something that could equally be joking or real.

 **I only save that for really special people.**

 **Oh yeah? How do I get on that list?**

I laughed, because if the list was real, it would be empty. I didn't have any savant friends, and I'd almost completely cut off contact with my parents a few years ago. I hadn't used telepathy in ages.

I preferred it this way, anyway. Sure, friends were good, but I didn't keep anyone too close.

 **You don't.** I finally replied.

 **There's still the matter of my coat. You like coffee?**

I rolled my eyes. Who doesn't like coffee? I'd been addicted to the stuff since junior high.

 **Yes, I like coffee.**

 **Meet me in the cafe opposite where you work.**

I tried to bring up a mental map but couldn't picture a cafe. I'd just have to find it when I got there.

 **Sure. 2 o'clock?**

 **It's a date.**

I shook my head at the phone, because this was hardly a romance novel. Discarding my cell to my bed, I had a shower and spent an hour deciding what to wear. Just because it wasn't a real date, didn't mean I couldn't dress to impress.

I leave the apartment at 1.50pm, knowing full well that I'll be late. I'm always late, but today was more plan than character flaw on my part. I didn't want to seem like the desperate clingy girls I'm sure followed Victor around everywhere. After all, despite what I said to Lindsay, the whole family were gorgeous.

I arrive outside the restaurant at ten past two and look around. It doesn't take me long to spot the little coffee shop Victor had mentioned. It's a cute little store with an old Parisian theme. I jog across the road and enter the cafe. The smell of fresh warm coffee fills my lungs and I smile. I make a mental note to stop by here before work in the future.

I order a caramel latte from the counter then search for Victor. He's sat near the back, watching me. I smile as I walk over and slip into the seat opposite him, "Hi...Victor."

He smiles back at me, "Hello..."

"Ava." I fill in for him.

His smile grows, "Hello, Ava."

* * *

 **A/N: Hi there :) I hope you liked the first chapter and the second will be up really soon :)**

 **Just to clarify, this book takes place after Misty Falls, so there will be characters from all four books, but it doesn't really matter if you haven't finished all of them...the story should still make sense anyway :) please review/PM me if you have any questions or suggestions for the story :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"Did you get home okay last night?" Victor asked.

I nodded, "Thanks...and thanks for the coat. That was really kind."

"You were crazy out there wearing practically nothing..." Victor said with a frown. He glanced at my tiny handbag, "Unless you had a serious accident with the dryer, I'm guessing my coat wouldn't fit in that bag..."

I frown, "Hmm, what?"

"My coat, you didn't bring it." He said, a smile twitching his lips.

"Shit!" I cursed softly. The only reason he'd asked me here was to get his coat back and I hadn't even brought it.

"Not the only reason..." He muttered under his breath.

"What?!" I asked.

He shook his head, "Nothing. Don't worry about the coat, you'll bring it next time."

"Next time?" I asked.

Victor frowned at the table, thinking hard about his response. Finally he leans back and watches me with a slightly bemused look, "Why did you meet me today? I could have been a rapist or axe murderer."

I scoot my chair backwards away from him slightly, "Excellent point." Victor laughed, the sound warm and a little rough, like he didn't laugh like this often. I shrug in response to his question, "I'm mildly addicted to coffee and have a less than responsible attitude towards life."

"There wasn't anything...else?" He asked.

"Like what?" I asked.

Victor shrugged, "No...feelings, or anything?"

I shook my head, frowning.

 _What about now?_

The shock of hearing his voice in my head causes me to jump out of my seat onto my feet and stare at him. Not only has it been so long since I used telepathy, and not only had he somehow figured out I was a savant, but it felt so different to anything I'd ever felt before. Like mini fireworks buzzing around my brain, like flowers pushing through the soil and emerging beautiful and bright, like lovers reuniting after decades apart.

"Soulfinder..." The word slips from my lips, barely a whisper.

Before today, I felt relatively normal. After he spoke to me, it felt like all my life I'd been floating around purposelessly in space. Now...I felt grounded by him, like a sense of gravity I'd never known had existed. It's true what they say, your soulfinder really does complete you.

I don't realise how happy I am until the light above us shines so brightly it explodes. Victor jumps and stares at the light, wondering what on earth happened. I return to my seat and try to calm myself down before I start an electrical fire. My gift is massively influenced by my emotions and, in moment like these where my emotions are strong, it's easy for accidents to happen.

I smile at Victor, "Sorry."

"For what?" Victor asked incredulously, as if I could never have anything to be sorry for.

I gesture to the light and he looks confused, so I explain, "I can control electricity. Well, I say control...I really don't have a lot of control over it most of the time." I look up at the shattered bulb, "As you can see."

"Wow, that's amazing." Victor said.

"It makes charging my phone a little easier." I joke. Victor frowns, like he doesn't get it. I had a tendency to make jokes when I felt awkward or nervous, like when someone complimented me. "Forget it...what's your power?"

It feels weird speaking so openly about being savant, after years of living amongst only humans.

"Well, pre warning, a lot of people freak out when they hear what I can do, but I promise you I never abuse my power. I only use it for good." He said.

"Okay, superman, what is it?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I can use telepathy to make people do things." He said.

"What kinda things?" I asked, leaning forward in my seat, intrigued.

"Anything." He said, seeming a little bemused by my reaction. He obviously expected me to flip out, "If I wanted to, I could get you to stand up on the table and start acting like a chicken."

I laughed, "Well that seems like an extremely useful talent."

"It's pretty useful in getting people to tell the truth." He said, "Its important in my line of work."

"Which is?" I asked, thinking back to the mysteriously vague business card.

He studied me for a second, "I guess I might as well tell you, since we're going to spend the rest of our lives together and all...I work for the FBI."

I let out a low whistle, "Dude..."

He passes a badge over the table, proudly showing the FBI identification. I pick it up and study it, "Pity you didn't leave this in your coat, I could have commandeered a car in the name of America's safety instead of walking over here."

He smiled, "I'm sure you'd never break the law by impersonating a federal agent."

I look up at him from under my eyelashes, "Of course not."

I have to remind myself that whilst we have the undeniable and eternal soulfinder bond, I have just met the guy and he is an FBI agent. Suddenly running through my mind is anything I'd ever done that was remotely illegal.

Victor suddenly raised his eyebrows, "Quite an impressive record."

I blush furiously as I remember he can hear my thoughts. My shields are pretty weak from not being used. I bite my lip and watch Victor laugh at me, "That's cute."

"What is?" I asked, frowning at being called 'cute'.

Victor brushes a finger against my lips, signalling that he was referring to the lip biting. I get too distracted by the physical contact to remember what question I'd asked. It's the first time he's touched me, and it feels like electricity is buzzing through my veins - and not just my normal charge, but real high voltage electric bolts.

I don't realise it's showing on the outside too until all the lights around us shatter.

I cover my face with my hand in embarrassment, "I'm so sorry, I'm not usually this much of a safety hazard, I swear."

Victor grins, "Come on, trouble, let's get you out of here to somewhere where you can't do as much damage."

He leads me outside and then takes my hand as if it's the most natural thing in the world. My body is still overreacting to my soulfinders touch and I manage to give him an electric shock. I jump away from him, "I'm so sorry! I'm just gunna walk over here..." I positioned myself a good two feet away from him on the sidewalk.

He glared at the space between us, "I'm not sure your gift is as awesome as I first thought."

"I'm really sorry about the lights and the electric shock..." I said, frowning at the floor.

"That's not what I meant." He said, stepping a little closer to me to allow some kids to pass. I can feel the energy buzzing between us already. "If you're reacting this badly to me touching you, how am I going to kiss you?"

I stop walking and look up at him. He comes to stand right in front of me, holding eye contact as he moves closer, leaning down to kiss me. I feel lost in his green eyes, but found at the same time. His lips are only a few inches away from mine when I snap out of it and pull back. I can already feel the electricity zipping through my body ready to burst out at any second, "I don't want to hurt you..."

"You won't." Victor said softly. I shook my head, "Trust me, Ava."

The urge to kiss him is huge, shutting down the rational part of my brain that knows I'm going to end up electrocuting him. I stay still, watching his lips as he moves closer again. Sparks crackle between us and I see him wince as they hit his face.

"No, forget it." I said, taking a few steps back. We were barely an inch apart and I was already hurting him. This was not the best way to start a relationship. "I'm sorry..."

"Ava," He went to take my hand then thought better of it, dropping his arm back to his side, "You have nothing to apologize for."

"It's never usually this bad...my emotions influence it." I explained.

Victor nodded, "Yves is the same. That's my brother - he controls fire but it's got rather out of hand more than a few times. His emotions make it harder to control."

"Those people you were with last night - they were your brothers?" I asked.

Victor nodded, "Trace, Uriel, Will, Xav, Yves, and Zed. Our parents liked to follow a pattern..."

"That makes you third." I observe and he nods, "And the girls?"

"Diamond, Tarryn, Crystal, Phoenix and Sky. They're the soulfinders of four of my brothers." He explained.

"They seem nice." I said.

"You'll meet them." He told me, "Soon. Right now I want to keep you all to myself."

Well, I wasn't going to object to that.

We walk and chat for a while. As we pass a flower stall, Victor plucks a rose from a bouquet, passing the seller a ten dollar bill without even slowing down his pace. He passed it to me, "For you."

"You charmer." I teased, taking the rose and making sure I don't touch his hand whilst doing so.

"Just because we're bound together by destiny, doesn't mean I'm not going to make an effort and 'court' you, as it were." He told me.

"Glad to hear it." I said, twirling the flower in my fingers and bringing it up to my nose to smell it.

"Tell me something about yourself, Ava." Victor said, "I want to know everything."

"There's not a lot to tell really." I said with a shrug, "I live here in Denver. I just started a new job at that restaurant. I don't wanna work there forever, but I haven't quite figured out what I want to do yet."

"Do you live alone?" He asked.

"Uh-huh." I said, "I like my independence."

"I've got an apartment here in Denver too." Victor said. "Used to share with my brother, Trace, but now he and Diamond are married they have their own place. Besides, with the amount of family drama recently I've been living at the house in Wrickenridge most of the time anyway."

"It's nice that your family are so close." I said.

Victor nodded, "What about yours?"

"I'm an only child." I said.

"And your parents?" He enquired.

I stare down at the rose, "I don't really talk to them, we lost contact a few years ago."

"Oh, Ava I'm sorry-"

"Why? I walked out on them and never looked back."

Victor frowned, but didn't press me.

"Besides," I continued, "I've got you now."

"Yes, you have." Victor said, smiling down at me.

~o.O.o~

"You wanna come in?" I asked as we stop outside the door to my apartment. Victor raised his eyebrows and I blushed furiously, "I didn't mean...not like...I wasn't...oh for Christ's sake!"

Victor laughed, "No, I'd better get home."

I smiled up at him, "Good idea."

"Goodnight Ava." He said.

I take a breath and try to clear my mind and emotions, then I stand on tip toes and kiss him quickly on the cheek. The lights above us flicker like crazy, but no one gets hurt so I take that as a win.

"G'night Vick." I said, then I slipped into the apartment and shut the door before anything else could happen.

I smile at the closed door, finding myself happier than I've felt in a long time.

Then I turn around and almost scream.

"Hello, Ava."

* * *

 **Hope you liked the second chapter :) I'll be posting the third chapter later today. Please review and let me know whether it's worth continuing or not! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"Ava." Damon said, standing up to greet me.

"What are you doing here, Damon?" I asked, glancing at the door and wondering if it was too late to run after Victor. I shook my head; I could handle Damon.

"I see you found your soulfinder." Damon commented.

I glowered, "I told you to stop spying on me."

"I can't help it, my gift comes naturally to me." Damon said with a shrug.

"You can't just turn up here whenever you want." I told him, "How did you even get in here?"

Damon just smirked, "I've missed you, Ava."

"Can't say it's mutual." I said, crossing into the kitchen and turning on the coffee machine.

"I'm sorry to say this isn't just a friendly visit." Damon said.

"It never is." I retorted.

"I found out something about our family that I think you'll find interesting." He told me.

"I don't want to hear it, Damon. I'm not part of that family anymore."

"Don't be a brat, Ava. You're going to want to hear this."

"No. I don't."

There's a knock at the door.

I cross to it and open it. It's Victor.

"Ava, I forgot to tell you-" He paused as he looked into the apartment behind me, "Who's that?"

I glance at Damon, "My cousin. He's just leaving."

Damon eyed up Victor and obviously decided it wasn't worth arguing in front of him, "Yeah." As he passed me he paused and looked down at me, "We need to talk about this. It's serious."

"Goodbye, Damon." I said pointedly.

He sighed and left, Victor stepping out of the way to let him through. Then Victor turned to me, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine," I said, running a hand through my hair, "I just don't like being reminded of my family and Damon loves to do just that...what did you stop by for?"

"I wanted to give you my address in case you need me." Victor said, handing me a slip of paper with the address of both his apartment in Denver and the family house in Wrickenridge.

"Thanks." I said, still a little distracted by my cousin's visit. I hadn't seen Damon in years and I'd wanted to keep it that way.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Victor asked, "I can stay if you-"

I cut him off with an over-enthusiastic laugh, "Nice try, you aren't getting me that easy."

"I didn't mean-"

"I know. I was joking."

"Oh. So do you want me to stay?"

"No it's cool." I said, suddenly feeling awkward even though Victor should be the last person I feel awkward around.

Victor leaves and I slump down on the sofa. I get a text from Damon;

-(We need to meet.)-

I glare at the phone as I stab out a reply.

-(Leave me alone.)-

-(Ava.)-

I rolled my eyes. As if simply stating my name was going to change my mind. Another text came through.

-(Your parents don't know I'm talking to you.)-

That was a little intriguing. When Damon had turned up I'd assumed it was my parents that had sent him, but if Damon was to be believed then that wasn't the case.

Even so, I didn't want anything to do with it.

-(Go. away.)-

-(We are going to have this conversation one way or another Ava. Don't say I didn't warn you.)-

~o.O.o~

The next day I woke up to a text from Victor asking me to meet him. I'd forgotten the awkwardness from yesterday and happiness bubbled inside of me.

I text him back that I would and an hour later I was sat by the fountain in the square waiting for him.

#Ava#

I jump slightly. Having someone in my head is so rare for me. I like it, because it's Victor, but it's also weird.

I turn around but I can't see him.

#Where are you?#

I turn back around and find him right in front of me. I frown at his smirk, "You shouldn't sneak up on people."

He smiled and offered me a hand. I take it tentatively and find to my relief that my gift is under control. We start walking down the high street, hand in hand. It's nice, feeling this close to someone. Even nicer because it's Victor.

"Where are we going?" I asked cheerfully.

"Well, as the only thing I really know about you is that you have a mild addiction to coffee," he said with a wink, "I thought we'd go to a coffee shop."

"Good plan."

When we get to the entrance of the shop, Victor stops and turns to me, "I want you to promise you won't blow the place up."

"You know I can't do that, Vick." I told him with an innocent smile.

"Perhaps we should order to go," He said, "I'm not sure my conscience could take it."

"I'll be good." I said, rolling my eyes and pulling him through the door, "Come on."

We sat down near the back. He took his coffee black, I noted. A vast contrast to my sweet and milky flavoured lattes and mochas.

"How's the family reunion?" I asked, stirring the cream on the top of my drink.

"It's great to see everyone again." Victor said, "We've all ended up in different parts of the world, what with soulfinders being scattered around."

"Only five of you have found soulfinders?" I asked, thinking back to the five girls who had been at the restaurant.

"Six." Victor said, smiling at me. I smiled back, "Only Will left now."

"I can't imagine that many savants in one house." I said.

"Well, we've got two more on the way this evening. Misty, Crystal and Diamonds niece, and her soulfinders Alex." Victor said, "You should come to Wrickenridge so you can meet them all." He must have sensed my nervousness at that idea, because he added, "Don't worry, they're all nice, if a little crazy."

I shook my head, "I'm just not used to being around savants. Even telepathy is weird for me, so being around sixteen savants is going to be...interesting."

"Sky will love you then." Victor said, "She didn't even know she was a savant until she met Zed."

The whole family seemed so interesting, my mind was a mix of curiosity and nerves at the thought of meeting then. Conversation drifted, and I started to learn more about Victor. His favourite colour was blue like, he said, the colour of my eyes. He followed football but wasn't really into any other sport. He had travelled to pretty much every country I could name, mostly due to work. The more I found out about him, the more opposite we seemed. I much preferred the colour red, I liked baseball and I'd never been further than a state away from where I was born.

Victor's phone rang, and when he saw it was his brother, Uriel, he apologised and said he had to take it.

"Hello, Uriel." He said, then paused to listen, "I'm with Ava...Can't Trace...I see...okay...okay, tell her I'll be there soon...Goodbye."

He turned back to me. "Ava, I'm so sorry. Misty's flight has got in early and they need picking up from the airport. She said she'd wait, but Alex said she's a little out of control; fear of heights got her a little bit panicked on the flight. I'd better pick them up before disaster strikes. Would you like to come with me?"

I didn't want to say goodbye yet, so I nodded, "What do you mean out of control?"

Victor laughed, "You'll see."

~o.O.o~

Victor had a nice car. It was all sleek and black with blacked out windows and high tech gadgets inside. He patiently told me what each thing did when I pointed to it.

"I'm impressed." I told him, "What does this do?"

"That's the ejector seat." He said, grabbing my hand before I push it.

I stared at him, "No way."

"Yep." He said. I stared at him until I saw his mouth twitch.

"Liar." I accused.

He grinned, "You shouldn't be so gullible."

We arrived at the airport and found the two teenagers stood outside, mouths locked together. Victor beeped the horn and the girl, Misty I assume, sprung away from the boy, Alex.

"Victor." I scolded gently, looking at Misty's blush. "That was mean."

He got out and helped them put their luggage in the trunk, then they all got into the car.

"Hi Ava." Misty said.

I frowned at Victor, who shrugged, "Word travels fast in our family."

"Hello Misty, Alex." I greeted in return, "Good flight?"

"Awful." Misty said bluntly.

"Fear of heights." Alex explained, "We shouldn't have put her in the window seat."

"Thank you for picking us up Victor." Misty said.

"How bad was your control?" Victor asked.

"A fight broke out after a woman confessed she was sleeping with her fiancee's best man in front of the whole wedding party." Alex said.

"It was embarrassing." Misty said. For my benefit, she added, "Losing control over my gift makes people around me tell the truth."

"Losing control over mine causes electrical hazards." I admitted, feeling that I won on the awkward gift side of things.

It took me a while to realise where we were going. I should have figured it out as soon as Victor told me we were picking Misty and Alex up.

"Are we going to your parents house?" I asked, looking at Victor across the console.

"Yes." He answered without taking his eyes from the road.

"Vick..." I rubbed my fingers together, something I'd always done when I was nervous.

"They'll love you, Ava." He said.

"I'm not good at families." I said, "I never was. They don't like me."

"I promise mine will like you." He said.

I scratched at my arm, "How can they when even my own family don't?"

I blink at my honesty, then Misty apologized from the backseat.

Victor took a hand off the wheel and reached for mine across the car. I let him take it but he immediately flinched at the electric spark I shot into his arm so I snatched it back.

We sat in silence for a moment. I'm upset and frustrated and nervous. I think Victor is frustrated too because he doesn't say anything. We pass a sign that announces our arrival in Wrickenridge and soon we are pulling up outside a large house in the middle of the forest.

Misty and Alex jump out and go inside, leaving me and Vick in the car alone.

"Ava..." Victor began. I don't want him to feel bad. I hate feeling upset but I hate people knowing I'm upset even more.

I unbuckled my seatbelt, taking a breath to calm my nerves. "I hope your mother isn't attached to any of her light fixtures."

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for the reviews I've got so far the response seems to be good. Please keep letting me know with reviews as the response to this chapter will decide whether I continue or not. If I do continue, the next chapter will be up soon :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

When we walk into the Benedict house hold it's already bustling with people. The first to notice me is one of Victor's brothers. He bounces over to me, "Hey Ava, welcome to the madhouse. Xav Benedict, at your service."

"Let her through the door, Xav." A girl, presumably his soulfinder, scolded. She smiled at me as we came into the room. "I'm Crystal."

"Come and sit down, Ava." Victor said, guiding me to a chair, no doubt feeling my unease.

The chatter continues around me as the others greet me and Vick. They are all asking questions and I feel myself growing more overwhelmed every second, desperate to get the answers right. I'm just about it coping until Victor's parents come in.

"Ava!" His mother said, beaming at me, "I've been looking forward to meeting you! Victor, you didn't tell me you were bringing your soulfinder!"

"Sorry, Mom, it was a last minute arrangement." Victor said, hugging his mother.

"I've been dying to meet you, Ava." She said, "Tell me all about yourself!"

The lights above me flicker a little as the attention turns to me, "Uhh...there's not a lot to tell."

"But I want to know all about my new daughter in law!" She said.

I can feel the panic rising. I am so not ready to be someone's daughter.

"Mom, we just met." Victor said.

"But you're soulfinders, you'll be together for the rest of your lives, we might as well get to know her!" She said, "Ava, welcome to the family."

The light above me shatters. I stand up as calmly as I can, "Excuse me, I need some air."

I walked out to the veranda and bent over the railing, breathing heavily as I felt a panic attack coming on. I concentrate on slowing my breathing and lowering my heart rate.

Someone stood next to me and I looked up to see a short girl with blonde hair, "I know they're a bit...full on."

"Tell me about it." I said, letting out a long breath and staring at the ground.

"I'm Sky." She told me.

"Ava." I said, even though she already knew.

"Everyone's just excited to meet you." Sky said, "They're a close family. Karla just wants to welcome you into it. She means well."

"I'm sure she does." I said, "I'm just not sure I'm cut out for the whole family thing. I don't have a lot of practice with functioning families."

"Neither did I." Another girl said, bounding over to us and jumping up onto the railing, sitting beside us, "I'm Phoenix. My 'family' was far from functioning."

"I had a pretty rough start before I got adopted." Sky said.

"You don't need to be good at playing families," Phoenix said, "The Benedict's will welcome you anyway. We'll all be there for you anyway, that's family."

I managed a smile, because maybe they were right. Maybe this was a second chance with a real family.

"Anyway, enough with the sappy pep talks." Sky said, grinning at me, "What's it like to be Victor Benedict's soulfinder?"

I shrugged, "We haven't spent all that much time together yet."

"I was terrified of him when I first met him." Sky said.

"I still am." Phoenix confessed and Sky laughed in agreement.

"Why?" I asked.

"I dunno...he's so serious and intense all the time." Sky said.

"Something about him just screams danger." Phoenix shivered, "Honestly Ava, he scares me."

I couldn't help laughing, because to me, nothing about Vick was scary, "No, he's really nice. I kinda hate him for throwing me in at the deep end with his family but...other than that..."

"He probably doesn't realise how intimidating it would be for you." Phoenix said, "He's so in control, he could probably cope with anything and I doubt he's ever intimidated."

"I hope that 'opposites attract' saying is true..." I mumbled.

"So your gift...controlling electricity, huh?" Sky asked.

I nodded and groaned, "It's not usually this out of control, I'm just stressed by meeting everyone."

"It's understandable." Phoenix said, "No one will blame you. Yves - that's my soulfinder - his gift is fire and when his emotions get out of control the results are not pretty."

"It's good to know I'm not the only health hazard around here." I said.

"Let's just say we're lucky Xav's power is healing." Sky said with a wink.

"Ready to go inside and face the lions?" Phoenix asked. I sighed, "We'll make sure they play nice."

Sky linked arms with me and the three of us walked back inside the house together. I'm still nervous, but if this is going to be my family, I'd be happy to have these girls as my sister's.

~o.O.o~

"I'm sorry," Victor said on the drive home, "About earlier. Sky talked to me."

I shot a look over to him, "It's fine."

"I didn't realise how much it would stress you out." He told me.

I look down at my lap, trying to think of a response. I hate that I've opened so much of myself to him, laid out my vulnerability in front of all his family when I've barely met them. I need to be strong, and I need to conceal.

"Honestly, I'm fine." I said, trying to weave a laugh into my words, "You know how my gift gets. Anything can set it off."

Victor shook his head, "You told me you didn't want to meet them and I forced you into it."

"Can we talk about something else?" I asked, rubbing my temples as I started to get a headache.

"You wanna get take out on the way home?" He asked, "I know a great Chinese near your apartment."

I flick my eyes over to him because liking Chinese food is so far our only similarity. I sighed a little, "Not tonight, Vick. I just wanna go home and sleep, I'm sorry."

"Ava you don't have to apologize." He said, "We'll do it another night."

He stops our side my apartment building and I kiss his cheek in goodbye, "See you soon, Victor."

"Goodnight, Ava." He returned.

I climbed the stairs to my apartment with a weird feeling in my heart. I shouldn't have turned Victor down, but I was annoyed. Not so much at him, but at myself. I needed to gather myself before I faced him again, this time making sure not to let my craziness show.

I unlock the door and chuck my keys into the bowl, trying to flick on the lights with my gift. Nothing happens. I try the switch but they still don't turn on. It can't be a power cut, because my gift would bring the electricity back. I use my gift to flick on the tv, which works. It's just the lights. I use my phone to light the way to the kitchen where I find a torch. Shining it up to the ceiling I can see why I'm surrounded by darkness. Every lightbulb in the apartment is shattered.

I spin around, searching the darkness with my torch. I can't see anyone, but it's so dark that the intruder could be hidden anywhere.

"Hello?" I called out.

From the darkness comes a loud smashing of glass.

I grab my keys from the bowl and leave, running down the stairwell without looking back. I burst out into the dark night, out of breath with my heart racing. Victor's already left, and I left my phone on the kitchen counter. I want to kick myself.

I could go to his apartment - I have the address after all. I shake myself. What had I just said about showing him my vulnerability?

Still, I don't want to be alone.

Halfway there, a brainwave hits and I pick up some Chinese food. He looks surprised when I open the door, but I explain myself by saying I felt bad for bailing, so brought the Chinese take out to him.

"You didn't have to do that, Ava." He said, letting me into the apartment. It's nice with modern furnishings, but the thing that strikes me most about the place is how tidy it is. For a guy living alone I'd expected something a bit messier, but every ornament is in perfect place, every cushion at the right angle. I raise an eyebrow at Victor but he doesn't seem to find anything strange. I make a mental note to tidy before he sees my own apartment.

"Hope you like chow mein." I said, unpacking the boxes.

"Of course I do." He said, grabbing forks, "Sit down."

I sit on the edge of his couch, not wanting to disturb anything. He brings the food over and sits beside me, pulling me back to lean against him. His warm arms around me instantly make me forget how scared I was earlier at my apartment and I relax.

"Be honest with me now, Ava." Victor said.

"Hmm?" I asked, shifting to look up at him.

"Why did you come?" He asked.

"I told you." I said, leaning forward and dishing chicken onto my plate.

"Ava." He said softly, "Come on."

I shrugged, "I really did feel bad. Not just about bailing on the take out but about how I acted at your parents. I wanted to make it up to you." He studied me for a moment. I rolled my eyes, "Its getting cold."

With that he seemed to accept my reasons and leans back into the sofa, "I'm glad you came."

I smiled, snuggling back into him, "Me too."

* * *

 **A/N: so I've decided to continue with the story! It's still kinda on probation but as long as I keep getting a positive response then I will carry on writing :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"Do you wanna stay over tonight?" Victor asked as he carried the plates over to the sink, "I can take the couch and you can have my bed. It's late and you live the other side of the city."

I glanced over towards the kitchen. He's stood with his back to me, rinsing off the plates, so he can't see the divided look on my face. Normally, I'd insist on going home. I hardly knew the guy, and my trust issues were way too deep to stay in almost stranger's apartments. But I really, _really_ didn't want to go back to my dark apartment where someone may or may not be waiting for me.

 _Besides_ , I remind myself, _he's your soulfinder. He wouldn't hurt you._

He turned around and waited for an answer.

"Sure." I said, smiling at him, "Thanks."

He went to get some sheets for the couch. I tried to insist on him keeping his bed and letting me take the couch, but he wouldn't hear of it. He showed me into his bedroom, which was just as immaculate as the rest of his apartment. It was furnished in a similar way, simple black, white and grey.

"Come and get me if you need anything." He said, "I don't mind if you wake me up."

I smiled, "Thanks. Goodnight, Vick."

He left me to get ready for bed, closing the door gently behind him. I look around the room; _Victor's bedroom_. I'd always felt like you could tell a lot about a person by their bedroom, like their inner secrets just spilled out into this personal space. Victor's room didn't seem to show much about him, it was minimal and practical. Although, maybe that _did_ say a lot about him.

I went into the en suite bathroom and washed my face, then realised I didn't have any pyjamas to change into. Not fancying going to sleep in my jeans, I cross to Victor's dresser and open a drawer. I find a shirt and slip it on. The oversized shirt comes down to my thighs and smells like Victor, like cinnamon and cloves.

I slip into bed and sigh at how comfortable it is. The sheets are silk and the comforter is so warm. It's quite possibly the nicest bed I've ever been in and it doesn't take me long to drift off into blissful sleep.

The next morning I roll out of bed feeling refreshed. I pull my unruly curls into a pony tail and then listen at the bedroom door for a moment. It doesn't sound like Victor is awake yet, so I slip quietly out of the room and walk down to the kitchen. He's fast asleep on the couch, looking peaceful but somehow still alert even when unconscious.

I rummage through the fridge until I find some eggs, then check the cupboards until I find a bowl, whisk and frying pan. I hum softly as I make the omelette, my signature - and only - breakfast dish.

"Ava?"

I jump and turn around to see Victor standing the other side of the island counter, staring at me. I smile at him, "Good morning."

"Is that my shirt?" He asked. I glance down. I'd forgotten that I'd basically stolen a shirt out of his drawer. I'd also forgotten how little of my legs it covered.

"Uh, sorry." I said, biting my lip. When I look up, he's still staring at me, but there's an odd look in his eyes, "I can change…"

"No," He said, his lips twitching, "It's fine. I was just a little…surprised." He smirked at me and added, "Pleasantly surprised."

I felt a blush creeping onto my cheeks so I turned my back to him, looking down at my eggs, "You want an omelette?"

I feel him behind me and his hands appear on my waist. I jump, my heart racing as I feel sparks of electricity rush around my body. To my surprise, nothing breaks and no body gets a shock. I regain control of my breathing and enjoy the warm feel of his hands through the thin material of the shirt for a moment before I turn around to face him.

We lock eyes and I find it hard to think of anything but him. My voice comes out quiet when I finally regain the ability to speak, "You didn't answer my question."

"I absolutely want omelette." He told me, turning off the stove behind me and moving the pan onto the worktop next to it, all without breaking eye contact, "But there's something else I have to do first."

He leaned towards me and my heart rate picks up again. My eyelids flutter closed and I wait, feeling his warm breath against my skin. Our mouths meet and he pauses, our lips barely touching. I realise that he's waiting for me, waiting to see if what he's doing it okay. I close the gap between us.

At first this kiss is tentative and sweet, but then something changes and it's raw and full of lust. Victor pushes me back against the counter, deepening the kiss. I don't notice the humming until I hear glass shattering. I break away from the kiss momentarily, "I'll pay for that."

He takes no notice and dips his head, kissing my neck. I roll my head back and sigh blissfully as his lips brush over my collarbone. Another light smashes, "I'll pay for that too."

He takes my face in his hands and rests his forehead against mine, "Stop."

He reunites our lips, pulling me back into the kiss. Then he lifts me up onto the worktop, which would have been sexy if I didn't knock the frying pan full of omelette flying onto the floor. I broke the kiss, laughter bubbling to the surface as I buried my head in his shoulder, "I'm sorry."

He lifted me off the counter and looked down at me, "You know, if it wasn't for the whole bound by fate thing, I'd swear we were cursed."

I look down at the omelette, which is scattered across the floor, "It might be a blessing in disguise. I'm not the best cook…"

"Okay. How about…" He lifted me up onto the island counter, checking first that _this_ one was free of anything I could knock off, "You just sit there and watch me make breakfast, and I can watch you look absolutely ravishing in my shirt."

I fingered the hem of the cotton shirt, "You don't mind that I took it?"

"You do make a habit of stealing my clothing." Victor said.

I rolled my eyes as I realised I still hadn't given his coat back, "I'm going to give everything back."

"I'm sure you will." Victor said, "I've got a lot of powerful friends at the FBI that deal with little thieves like you."

I burst out laughing and he turned around to face me, eyebrow raised, "Something funny, Miss Lane?"

I tried to keep my face straight, but I was unable to keep my lips from twitching, "If you want it back that badly, I can just go change right now."

"You will absolutely do no such thing." He told me, frowning. I smirked at him, my turn to raise an eyebrow, "If it weren't entirely impractical I'd never let you wear anything else again."

"Fine." I said, "What's for breakfast?"

-o.O.o-

Later that day, I rushed into work over an hour late, trying to fit my hair into some sort of bun as I burst through the back staff entrance. To my dismay, Lindsay is waiting for me.

"Where the hell have you been Ava?!" She demanded.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." I said, "I overslept. I'll work late."

"And we were supposed to get coffee before work." Lindsay said, hands on hips, "You were gunna help me find an apartment?"

"Shit, Linds, I'm sorry. I totally blanked." I said.

She sighed, "I hardly see you anymore now you're hooking up with Victor."

"Okay, we are _not_ hooking up." I corrected.

She raised an eyebrow, "Where were you this morning?"

My mind drifted back to the steamy make out session Victor and I had shared up against the kitchen worktop this morning after he made me the nicest pancakes of my life.

Lindsay nodded at the look on my face, "I thought so."

"Okay, so I was with Vick and totally blanked about work." I admitted, "But we're not hooking up. Not in the sense you're thinking of, anyway."

"I don't know why you aren't." Lindsay said, "If a guy _that_ hot agreed to date _me_ , I wouldn't even wait until the second date."

"Lindsay!"

"What?!"

I rolled my eyes and started my shift, trying to avoid Lindsay as much as I could. She kept asking me to set her up with one of Victor's brothers, but I thought somehow that the only unmatched Benedict brother left, Will, was probably holding out for his soulfinder and, whilst I loved her to bits, Lindsay definitely wasn't that.

After work I braved going back to my apartment. A quick search told me that whoever had been here last night was gone, but every lightbulb in the whole place had been shattered - even my beside lamp was destroyed. I was more than used to having to change lightbulbs, what with my gift being what it is, so I bought some from the local store and spent the afternoon changing all of the lights. Then I called the super and had him change the locks on my door, because whoever came last night obviously got hold of a key somehow.

I sent Lindsay another apologetic text promising to meet her to look at apartments the next day, and then I text Victor but I didn't get a reply. He was probably working, or visiting his family over in Wrickenridge.

Five minutes later, when my phone buzzed, I grabbed it so quickly I almost fell off of the couch. But it wasn't a reply from Victor; it was a text from Damon.

 **Ready to talk yet?**

I put the phone down with a groan. Would he just leave me alone?!

It buzzed again.

 **It's not like you've got anything better to do. Loverboy is busy.**

I glared at the phone, then tapped out a reply.

 **I don't want to talk to you, Damon.**

There was silence for a few minutes and then he finally replied;

 **Not yet. But you will.**

He didn't text me again so I pushed it to the back of my mind. There was no way I'd ever want to talk to Damon. For one thing, he was annoying, arrogant and altogether a complete asshole. For another, I wasn't interested in whatever he had to say about my family. As far as I was concerned they didn't exist anymore, and I wanted them to stay buried.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey! So sorry it's been a while, but I needed to rethink where I was going with this story. It's back on track now though and I'm going to pick it back up, so I hope you're all still enjoying it and don't hate me too much for taking a few months to update!**

Nominations for the Finding Sky Fan Fiction Awards for 2015/16 are now open, I'd love it if you guys could nominate/vote for this story, it would be so awesome :D If you have a Finding Sky fanfiction you think I might like then go ahead and recommend it to me! If I like it, I'll nominate it for an award! Here's the link for the awards; (www.) (fanfiction) (.net)/topic/187591/146092870/1/#146092886

 **Please review, I love hearing from you!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"One triple chocolate sundae with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, flake, chocolate sprinkles, and cocoa dusting." Victor announced, placing the dessert in front of me. I grinned up at him and took the spoon he offered me. He sat down with his plan vanilla ice cream and tucked in, watching me with amusement as I ate all of my toppings first.

The ice cream parlour is deserted, so we'd claimed a comfortable booth in the corner.

"Looks like you're the only one crazy enough to want ice cream in January." Victor commented, smirking at me.

"It's never too cold for ice cream, Vick." I said, "Life lesson number one. Besides, you agreed to it."

Victor shrugged, "I'm deciding where we go on Saturday, it seemed only fair to give you this one."

I leaned across the table and whispered, even though there was no one to hear us, "Where are we going on Saturday?"

"Someone needs to teach you the meaning of the word 'secret'." He told me.

I collapsed back into my chair with a sigh, "I hate surprises."

"Everyone hates surprises, that's part of human nature. We always want to know what's going to happen. It's probably a survival technique from evolutionary times, so that we could prepare and be able to ward off any threats." He saw my raised eyebrow and stopped, "Sorry."

I shook my head, "I like it when you geek out. It makes me feel intelligent just listening to you."

"Regardless," He said, "You will like this surprise."

Saturday marked our month anniversary and Victor had insisted on taking me _somewhere_ , I just wasn't allowed to know _where_.

"It's only two more days, Ava." He said when he saw me pouting. That trick never worked on him. He must know every trick in the book, working for the FBI, which is why it was so easy for him to get information out of me, but impossible for me to get it out of him.

"It's fine." I told him, "I just won't tell you my secret."

He raised an eyebrow, "What secret?"

"I'm not going to tell you." I said, sticking my tongue out.

"You don't have a secret." He said.

"Oh, don't I?" I asked, "Okay. If you say so."

"Ava," He said, smirking, "Your tell is so obvious your nose might as well be growing."

I pouted again, "Tell me what it is."

He shook his head, laughing, "And lose my advantage over you?"

I took a bite of ice cream, "Maybe I'll just have to recruit Misty to make you spill all of your secrets."

"Whilst I'm sure she'd love to fly all the way over here just to be at your beck and call, I think the FBI would have something to say about me giving away all of their secrets." He told me.

"Secrets like what?" I asked. He raised an eyebrow, "It's not like I'm going to tell anyone, Vick."

"You know I can get life imprisonment for giving away classified information." He said.

"Oh, come on, it's not like you're selling it to the Russians." I said. His eyebrow rose again and I rolled my eyes, "Whatever, but one day I'm going to have the biggest, juiciest secret ever and I'm not going to tell you."

We finished our ice creams and layered our coats back on before venturing out into the cold night. It hadn't snowed in a few days, but it still lay on the ground and hung in the air, chilling our skin. Victor took my gloved hand and held it as we walked down the street. Victor had left his car outside my apartment and we'd walked half a mile down the road in search of ice cream.

"Can I at least know when you're going to pick me up on Saturday?" I asked.

Victor laughed and shook his head, "I'm just going to turn up and surprise you."

"Why?!" I demanded.

He smirked, "Because I love to see you pout like that when you don't get your own way."

"You're mean." I told him.

"Only to you." He responded with a wink.

We reach my apartment block and stop outside the door, holding hands and not wanting to let go.

"Goodnight, Ava." Victor said.

"Don't I get a goodbye kiss?" I asked.

Victor pretended to be shocked, gesturing to the busy sidewalk around us, "In front of all these people? What will the neighbours say?"

"I can fix it." I told him. I blink at the streetlights and they go out, plunging the street into darkness. I step towards Victor, my voice hushed, "Now no one can see us."

Ignoring the chattering around us as people tried to light their way with their phone screens, our lips lock in a goodnight kiss. Pulling away reluctantly, I turn the lights back on.

"Finally," Victor said, "A use for your gift that doesn't involve broken glass and electric shocks."

I roll my eyes at him, "I'll see you in two days."

He grinned, "If the suspense hasn't driven you insane by then."

He jogged away to his car and I watched him drive off before going up to my apartment, taking a shower and going to bed.

-o.O.o-

Saturday rolled around, eventually. I got up early, which was very out of character, to get ready seeing as I didn't know when Victor was going to turn up.

The knock on my door came at ten o'clock; three sharp raps.

"Come in!" I called from my bedroom, where I was applying an extra coat of lipgloss. The door didn't open, so I chucked the gloss back into my make-up bag and ran to the door, pulling on a shoe as I went. I opened the door, "Didn't you hear me-"

I stopped because there was no one standing in the doorway. I looked down the hall, confused. Then I looked down and saw a cream envelope on the doorstep. I crouched and picked it up. Inside the envelope is a map of Denver, with an 'x' marked on a building at the corner of Main Street and 8th Avenue. I couldn't think what the building was, but I was confident I could find it and it was only a ten minute walk from my apartment.

I slipped on my other shoe and grabbed my coat and bag before slipping out of the apartment, the map still clutched in my hand. I jogged most of the way, excited to find out what Victor had planned. I reached Main Street and walked along until I found 8th Avenue. Right at the intersection was a flower shop. I looked around, but I couldn't see Victor. I checked the map again, confirming that I was at the right place. The 'x' lay right in the middle of the flower shop, so I went inside.

There was still no sign of Victor, only a young woman sat behind the counter, writing out cards for the flowers. She looked up at me and smiled, "Ava Lawrence?"

I nodded, confused, "Yes…do I know you?"

The woman shook her head, "Your boyfriend said you'd be stopping by. He said to give you this."

She disappeared into the back room for a second and then reappeared holding a bunch of roses. I smiled and took the bouquet from her. A note was attached, which I pulled out and read. It was an address.

It seemed Victor was sending me on a treasure hunt.

I thanked the woman and left the shop, typing the address into my phone as I went. An hour later, I'd visited three more locations, including a bakery to pick up a cupcake which I'd already eaten on the way. The wrapper of the cupcake had given me an address which led to an apartment block, which I now stood outside.

I scanned the buzzers next to the door, reading the resident's names. I stopped when I stumbled across my own name, written in block capitals; 3B - AVA.

Deciding that this had to be the next clue, I pressed the button and heard the buzz, then the click of the door opening. I climbed the stairs to the third floor then walked along the hallway until I found 3B. I didn't get any response when I knocked, so I tried the handle and found the door to be unlocked.

The apartment was dark, the curtains drawn, so I flicked the lights on. Sitting on the couch, grinning right at me, was not Victor, but Damon.

-o.O.o-

"Damon." I said with a glare.

"Ava." He returned with a smug smile, "I see you followed my clues. Clever, weren't they?"

"I don't have time for this, Damon." I said, turning around to leave.

"I'm only asking for five minutes." He said, "And then you don't ever have to speak to me again if you don't want to. But you will, when you hear what I say." I hesitated, glancing at the door, "Ava, I promise. This is important. Just hear me out."

Relenting, I went and sat opposite him on an armchair. I looked around the apartment, "This is where you're living now?"

"When I'm in Denver I crash here." Damon said.

I crossed my legs underneath me and pulled a cushion onto my lap, "Why did you bring me here?"

"I know that you don't remember a lot of our childhood." Damon said.

"I remember enough." I cut in.

"No," Damon said, "I don't think you do. Ava, it's time you remembered everything."

I stood up, "You brought me here to trick me. To make me remember everything. I forgot for a reason; we had a deal."

"Sit down, please." Damon said, "I know you don't want to remember, and I can't force you, but this is important."

"I don't want anything to do with this, Damon." I said.

"Your parents really need our help." He said.

"Whatever mess they've got themselves into, they probably deserve it." I said.

"Do you remember Mickey Hannigan?" Damon asked. I nodded, but I only remembered him weakly, remembering that his family and mine didn't get along, "Some bad shit went down a few months ago, and your parents cost him a lot of money. They've taken your parents, Ava. They're keeping them somewhere and doing God knows what. I need your help breaking them out of there."

I shook my head slowly, "Damon, I don't do that kind of stuff anymore. I told you when I left, I don't want anything to do with that life ever again."

"I've seen them." Damon told me, "It's patchy, because they're unconscious a lot of the time, but I get through every now and then."

Damon had the ability to tap into other people's brains and see the world through their eyes. At any given moment he could see what you were currently viewing, no matter where you were in the world. If he was to be believed, he could see what my parents were seeing in captivity.

"They're torturing them, Ava, and it's only a matter of time before they kill them." He leaned forward in his seat, "I know you don't want anything to do with them, but you can't let your own parents die."

-o.O.o-

I left Damon's undecided. I told him I needed time to think and that I would contact him when I was ready. I'd convinced myself that I didn't want anything to do with my family, or my old life, ever again, but Damon's words kept ringing in my ears.

 _You can't let your own parents die_.

Could I?

I looked down at the scrambled piece of paper that Damon had given me, clutched in my hand. It contained the address of his brother's apartment; my other cousin, Finn.

"Just think about going to see him." Damon had urged, "Once you know everything, you might find the decision easier."

Finn's savant gift was the ability to manipulate memories. He could make you forget, or _remember_ , your past. When I'd walked away from my family, I'd made a deal with him and he'd wiped most of my memories of my family, leaving only the basic framework. I'd wanted to forget it all, but now Damon said I had to remember.

Maybe it _was_ time to remember.

My hands shook as I smoothed out the paper and read the address of the apartment that was right here in Denver.

I pulled out my phone to search the address. I had a text from Victor, asking where I was. I'd completely forgotten that I was supposed to be meeting him, or that it was our anniversary. I'd left Damon's in such a gaze, locked in my own little crisis.

I sent him a quick text back;

 **Sorry, Lindsay had an emergency. Let yourself in, I'll be there in an hour.**

I hated how easy it was to lie to him, and how Damon being in my life was already making me revert back to the person I didn't want to be. For a second I considered tossing it all, leaving Damon and going back to my life with Victor; my happy, normal life.

But a deep part of me knew that this was too important. I couldn't ignore it all and pretend it wasn't happening. I couldn't fool myself into thinking I wasn't wondering what I'd forgotten about my past that was so important now. I had to get my memories back, and then I could make a decision, with a clear, informed head. I had to go and see Finn.

* * *

 **A/N: Heya :) Not much to say here this time...but thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter, I appreciate every one of them! Hope you liked the chapter and I aim to get another up soon so stay tuned! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

My memories didn't come flooding back like a waterfall, like I'd expected them to. They came drop by drop, like light rain splashing into the pond of my brain. I remembered my family history piece by piece, building up a puzzle from the corners in.

I remembered things that had happened with them, the things we had done, but I also remembered the things _I_ could do. I remembered how to lie, avoiding my obvious tell, and how to pick locks. I wasn't sure I wanted to remember how good I was at deceit and crime, but it was all coming back along with the memories of my parents.

A memory in particular kept flooding my brain, coming to the front of my mind again and again. In the memory I can't be more than seven. We're living in this apartment complex that my parents used to own. The top floor is entirely taken over by our family; my parents and I, Damon and Finn with their father and my other, older cousins, Jessop and Eric.

I'm sat on the floor in front of the TV, watching some kids show. Damon, aged ten, and Finn, aged fourteen, are sat on the couch behind me arguing. They get up, grab their bags and head to the door, "We'll be back before morning."

I jumped up, "I'm coming too!"

"No you're not, Ava." Finn told me.

"Why?" I asked indignantly.

"You're too young." Damon said, "And you're just a girl."

"I'm not too young!" I told him indignantly.

"We're going out stealing." Damon said, "Little girls can't come."

I stuck my chin in the air, "Stealing is wrong."

At that, my father finally looked up from his desk, "Who told you that, Ava?"

"It's that school you send her to." Finn said, "Teaching her all these morals. I don't see why you don't keep her home like you did with us."

"Stealing _is_ wrong." I insisted.

"You _should_ take her with you." My father said, "Show her what our life is really about."

The boys complained but my father insisted. I wrapped my coat around me and followed my cousins into the night.

Back then even Finn, the oldest of us all, had been considered too young for help out with the _real_ criminal matters my family were involved in, but our parents believed that good cons and criminals started young and so took great joy in sending my male cousins out to commit break-ins and petty theft. This was the first time I'd been encouraged to join them.

They'd already selected a target; a nice house a few blocks away from our apartment complex. Damon busted the lock and we all crept inside. Finn began piling anything valuable into a bag he'd brought and I stood and watched. Damon ran around excitedly, trying to scout out anything of particular interest.

"Hey, Finn!" He hissed, pointing at a large painting on the wall, "You think it's a safe?"

I watched, bemused, as he lifted the painting off the wall to look behind it. Even I could have told him that only people in movies hid safes behind paintings.

"Ava, come over here and hold this." Finn said, holding out the bag. I walked towards him, but then stumbled and tripped on what appeared to be nothing. I caught myself before I could fall over and took a step backwards. Bending down, I lifted the rug to see what I'd tripped over. The floorboards were slightly stuck up in a rectangle too perfect to be shoddy craftsmanship.

Finn had pushed me out of the way before I could get a better look, pulling the boards up, " _Here's_ the safe. They can't have closed it properly last time they opened it. That means they probably opened it recently, so there might be a lot of money in here."

The safe was electric with an eight-pin code and likely alarms that would go off if you entered an incorrect code too many times. Damon pulled a tool out of his pocket and handed it to Finn, who began attempting to pry the safe open.

He'd been fiddling for only a few minutes when something snapped inside the safe and a shrill blaring sound began filling the house.

"Crap." Finn said. Damon looked at him in panic.

Rushed footsteps came from upstairs, heading towards us. The footsteps hit the top of the stairs and lights flooded the house. A male voice yelled, "Whoever you are, I've got a gun!"

Damon's face went white. I nearly peed myself.

And then the lights went out.

The alarm stopped blaring too, because my utter terror had caused me to short-circuit the entire block's electricity.

Damon and Finn looked at me incredulously, then grabbed everything out of the now open safe before bolting from the house, leaving me to run after them with my little six year old legs.

After that day they took me out on every single one of their raids.

-o.O.o-

I knocked on Victor's door at nine o'clock on the dot. Even though this was the time we'd arranged to meet, he opened the door shirtless and shoeless, holding a bunch of papers in his hand. When I'd managed to pull my eyes away from his bare chest, I looked up at him quizzically, "Are you ready?"

"I'm sorry - come in, Ava." He said. Much to my dismay, he pulled a shirt on over his head before leading me over to the living room.

"It's not like you to be late." I commented, not as a criticism but merely as an observation. It _was_ very out of character.

"It's a case I'm working on." He explained, "It's had me up all night and I completely lost track of time."

I couldn't sit down because papers littered the entire room; floor, tables and chairs. I raised an eyebrow, "Really tough case, hu?"

Victor ran a hand through his hair in frustration. It was strange seeing him like this. He was usually so confident and sure of himself, knowing all the answers. He was always so collected and together, and I'd never imagine him to be the kind of person who'd have their papers strewn out across the room like a tornado just hit.

"It's been ongoing for years, but they've just handed it over to me." Victor explained.

"I bet I could figure it out in a day." I told him. He shot me a look and I held my hands up, "Joking, sorry! Sheesh! You really are in a bad mood."

"I'm sorry." Victor said, "Give me half an hour and I'll be ready."

"If you need to focus on the case, we can meet another day." I suggested. Victor looked pained as he tried to decide, "Really, I don't mind."

"No." He said, "I need a break and going out with you will be the perfect way to get my spirits up. There's nothing worse than trying to figure something out when you're in a bad mood with it." He began tidying the papers away, "The case isn't going anywhere; I can carry on tomorrow."

He went to get changed and put shoes on and I stayed in the living room waiting for him. Using my gift, I flicked on the kettle from where I sat on the couch and waited until it boiled to get up and make two cups of coffee, black for him, white with sugar for me.

Once he's dressed and we've finished our coffees, we go out for a walk around the block. Hand in hand, we walked our familiar route past the park, the library, left at the coffee shop, then circle back along the river.

"I'm sorry about being late." Victor said.

"It's no big deal." I said with a shrug.

"No, it is." He said, "We've hardly seen each other recently and I was really looking forward to seeing you today."

Guilt crept up inside of me. It was my fault that we hadn't been meeting much. The last two weeks I'd been filled with such a moral dilemma about my parents that I'd been too distracted to think much about Victor. And even when I _did_ think about meeting him, I couldn't bare to keep lying to him. Keeping my past a secret from him felt like a betrayal, made all the worse by what he did for a job.

So I'd been avoiding him as much as I could.

"Apology accepted." I told him, "And _I'm_ sorry that I've been so busy recently. I've missed you."

That much was the truth, at least. I hated being apart from Victor, but each new memory that resurfaced seemed to push me further away from him.

That first night, when I short-circuited the electricity, was just the first night of my criminal career. The boys saw me as useful after that, as did my parents, and I was dragged along to many more raids. At first, I went reluctantly. I still believed that what was happening was wrong, but I was too young to stand up to my older cousins. I like to think that I _always_ believed it was wrong, even as I got older, but I'm not so sure. Maybe I just learned to block out my conscience, or maybe I really did start to consider what I was doing okay. I'm not sure, because I still can't fully remember. I feel guilt now though, even thinking about it.

I remember a time when I was almost thirteen. We'd moved up from breaking into people's houses, in a large part due to my 'usefulness'. I could turn of alarms and security systems, open electric locks and doors, and turn of surveillance cameras. Damon and Finn turned their attention to companies and local banks, hunching over blueprints and hatching elaborate plans. I was rarely consulted during this stage; I just followed orders.

When we arrived at the bank of a small, but rich, town twenty miles from where we lived, I immediately set to work disabling the alarm. I was still learning to properly use my gift then and it sometimes took me a while to figure out the complicated security circuits. That night, I did it in almost record time, and Finn clapped me on the back, "Well done, Ava."

I close my eyes and scan in my mind for security cameras, then use my gift to pause the tapes. When I started them again, it would be like no time had passed. Next I open the electric lock on the door and push it quietly open. Damon and Finn follow me inside.

I start working my gift on the main vault whilst Damon and Finn begin picking the locks of the safety deposit boxes. I crack the lock and begin to load money into bags.

Damon steps into the vault behind me and lets out a whistle, "Jackpot."

Finn followed, grinning, "Good find, Ava."

We left the bank, re-locking the doors, re-enabling the alarm, and re-starting the surveillance footage, with thousands and thousands of dollars stuffed in our bags and in our pockets. My cousins lifted me up and we ran down the street, laughing and whooping as we made our way back to the waiting car.

Perhaps, I thought, there was a part of me that had always enjoyed it. The adrenaline, the thrill, the _rebellion_ of it all.

"Ava?"

Victor's voice pulled me back to reality. He was smiling at me, "You totally zoned out. What were you thinking about?"

I shook my head, "Sorry. Nothing."

That was the other thing. Every day it was getting easier to lie and to hide my thoughts, skills that I'd completely lost along with my memories. I'd become aware of my tell and I knew how to hide it; when I lied, I tended to touch my hand, scratching it or rubbing it. If I concentrated on not doing it, it was easy to hide.

"Well, if I can have your thoughts for one moment, Miss Ava, I asked you a question." He said.

"You did?" I asked.

Victor laughed, "One day I'll figure out what goes on in your head when you zone out like that."

I rolled my eyes, "I'm listening. What did you ask?"

"We're going on a vacation in a couple of weeks." Victor said, "Just a long weekend really. I wanted to invite you."

"Wow. That would be awesome." I told him with a smile. A whole weekend to have him to myself in some romantic setting abroad. "Where are you going?"

"France." Victor said. I wandered where in France; perhaps Paris, the city of love? "It's a ski holiday really, we're going to the Alps."

"Oh." I said, my excitement falling.

"Oh?" Victor said, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't think you'd find me much fun on a ski holiday. I can't ski." I explained.

He looked at me incredulously, "You live less than two hours from the Rocky Mountains and you never learnt to ski?"

I shrugged, "I didn't always live here, and my parents didn't have much time for skiing when I was growing up."

"Where did you live growing up?" Victor asked.

"We moved around a lot." I said, "The longest place I can remember was Nevada."

"What did your parents do, to make you travel so much?" Victor asked. I hesitated, unsure what to say, "I'm sorry, I know you don't like to talk about your family. I'm just curious."

"No, it's fine." I said, "My dad was a businessman and his company moved him around a lot. My Mom was an actress so she could work anywhere really." The lie rolled off my tongue easier than I expected, "I got fed up of it. My father was constantly working and my Mom was so selfish, she didn't care if we got pulled out of school every few months."

"We?" Victor asked cautiously.

"My cousins lived with us." I explained, "Damon, who you've met, and some others."

"So you left?" Victor asked.

I nodded, "There were other things, but I don't really want to go into all that."

Victor nodded, "Your childhood sounds a lot more interesting than mine, anyway."

I laughed, "I'll bet."

By the time I was seventeen, we'd moved to Las Vegas. Finn was now twenty five and was well immersed in the family business, spending most of his time with them. He'd passed the baton to Damon and I, and we'd readily accepted. Of course everyone had expected Damon to take the lead, but it turned out that _I_ did. As the only one who'd been to an actual school rather than make-shift home education, I was smarter than Damon and more creative. My gift was more useful than his and I eventually became the natural leader.

We robbed casinos and clubs and broke into the penthouses of expensive hotels, stealing from rich businessmen whilst they spent thousands on prostitutes down in the private rooms. In our spare time, we used our fake IDs to get into the casinos and helped each other cheat at card games, raking in the money each night.

I used to love dressing up in fancy clothes and swanning around the strip. It was the brief period in our lives when Damon and I truly got along. We were both rich, carefree and living in Las Vegas with fake IDs. The world was ours.

A few months before my eighteenth birthday, my Dad began introducing me to his 'circle'. He invited me to 'business dinners' and introduced me as his protégé daughter. I knew what he was doing, because I'd seen him do the same thing with Finn. I was just surprised that Damon hadn't come first.

This was the first steps to moving me from the small scale crimes committed by Damon and I and into the big leagues with my parents and other cousins.

I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I'd grown used to stealing and even small scale heists, and I didn't feel much guilt anymore. I even found myself enjoying it. But I told myself that it was because I wasn't really hurting anyone. Those big companies and banks didn't really lose any money, and the rich people we stole from always had insurance which would cover their losses. Besides, it was just money and _things_. What my parents did, _the big leagues_ , was a different matter entirely.

And that was what ultimately led to the night I left.

"At any rate, I never learnt to ski." I concluded, bringing myself back to the present.

"You'll be in good hands." Victor told me, "We've all been skiing since we could walk. Sky couldn't ski either, but Zed taught her and now she can almost keep up with the best of us."

"I wouldn't want you to spend your whole holiday teaching me on the nursery slopes." I protested, "You're going to have a good time."

"I'm going to spend time with you, away from here." Victor said, "Zed, Yves and Xavier decided they wanted a break to be with their soulfinders, and they invited the two of us. Ava," He stopped and took me by both hands, "Please say you'll come."

I smiled, "Of course I'll come."

"I can't wait." Victor said. We'd managed to walk all the way back to his apartment building and we stopped outside. He kissed me and said goodbye, leaving me with a mixture of excitement and everlasting guilt.

* * *

 **A/N: I didn't expect this chapter to come out so long, but I hope you liked it! I know not a lot actually happened, but I wanted to show you a little bit of Ava's past as it will be important later in the story.**

 **Thanks to everyone who reviewed/favourited/followed!** **:)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

"I mean, what do you even _wear_ on a skiing holiday?" I asked, splashing water and bubbles as I threw dishes into the sink at the restaurant.

"A ski suit would be a good start." Lindsay said.

"Do I need to buy skis?" I said, turning to face her, "I can't afford to buy skis!"

"There will be skis there." Lindsay told me, "Will you stop panicking?"

I threw a ladle into the sink, "I just don't want to look like an idiot in front of his family. Apparently they've all been skiing for years."

"You could make up an excuse not to go." Lindsay suggested.

"No, I want to go." I said, "I just want it to go well."

"How are things with you and Victor in general?" She asked.

"They're good." I said automatically. And things _were_ good, mostly. I still felt guilty about lying to Victor, but what he didn't know couldn't hurt him, right?

"Have you…." I turn around to see Lindsay waggling her eyebrows at me.

I rolled my eyes, "If you must know; no, we haven't."

"I don't get it - how do you _resist_?" She said. I went back to washing dishes, "I know you said his brothers are out of the question, but does he have, like, cousins?"

It's getting dark by the time I finish work, and the streetlights have turned on by the time I've walked home. I jogged up the steps to my apartment, fishing the key out of my pocket as I went, but when I reached the door I found it already open. I frowned at it, sure I'd locked it when I'd left that morning. Pushing it open, I flick on the lights and find my entire apartment in chaos. The furniture has been tipped over, glasses and plates have been smashed, my clothes strewn across the living room. Everything I own that isn't fixed in place has been thrown or broken.

A quick scan of the room shows me that my few valuable items - the TV, my laptop, my jewellery - haven't been taken, which confirm my fears. This wasn't a robbery. This, and whoever smashed up all my lights last week, is to get to _me_.

I leave, making sure to lock the door behind me, even though whoever is doing this can clearly get around my mediocre security. I go straight to Victor's apartment, which is the only place I can think of that would be safe to spend the night. It's not a very long walk, but I opt for taking a taxi anyway because I'm too freaked out to walk the city streets alone tonight.

I knocked on the door to Victor's apartment but there was no answer. I tried again but got the same result, not sure why I'd expected anything different. I was about to turn around and leave, but I couldn't shake the paranoid feeling that someone had been following me. Working myself into a state, I tried knocking again. When, inevitably, I got no response, I got desperate.

Since regaining my memory, I'd remembered how to do a lot of things I'd completely forgotten about, and one of those things was picking locks. Victor has two locks on his door; one which you need an electronic key card to unlock, which is of course easy for me to disable, and the other which uses a standard key. Pulling the bobby pins from my hair, it only takes me a few minutes to unlock the door. I re-lock it once I'm inside, keeping out whoever may or may not have been following me.

"Vick?" I called out into the empty apartment, even though I knew he wasn't home. It felt strange being in someone else's apartment without them. I only knew Victor's apartment in the context of Victor. I didn't know what to do once he'd been removed from the equation.

I flick on the coffee machine, then change my mind. I needed hot tea. If anything was going to calm me down at a time like this, it was a nice cup of tea.

Settling down on Victor's couch with the warm mug between my hands, I finally felt myself relax a little. I turned on the TV and switched to the cartoon channel, allowing myself to completely forget my troubles and relax further into the warmth of Victor's apartment.

~o.O.o~

I was woken up by the sun streaming onto my face, which was odd, because last night all the blinds had been shut.

Sitting up, I found the TV to be off and my mug sat clean on the draining board. Then Victor walked in from the bedroom, talking on his cellphone.

"You're going to have to get a warrant, Jack." He was saying. He raised an eyebrow at me as he saw I was awake. I felt myself blushing. He must have come home and found me asleep on his couch, probably wondering what the hell I was doing there. "There's not enough evidence to bring him in yet. Just talk to Sadago…..no, I haven't. Okay I'll look over it and get back to you later. Goodbye."

After hanging up the phone, Victor leaned against the kitchen counter, surveying me with a raised eyebrow, "Hello Ava."

"Hey." I said, trying to be casual. As if letting yourself into someone else's apartment for a nap was casual.

"Did you sleep well?" Victor asked. His eyebrow had not yet fallen back to it's natural place.

"I came over to see you last night but you weren't here." I explained. I could tell by the look on his face that that wasn't going to cut it, "I guess I fell asleep waiting for you to get back."

"I was at my parents' house. You know you could have called me." He said. I frowned.

"Yeah, guess I didn't think of that." I said.

Victor smiled and shook his head, "So instead of calling you decided to break into my apartment?"

I offered him a sheepish smile, "For a member of the FBI, your security isn't that great."

"I wasn't aware that I was dating a master criminal." He said. I managed to hide my shock at the comment, realising it was a joke just soon enough to stop myself from blurting out 'how did you find out?'.

I let a smile fall onto my face, "It's a one time thing, promise."

"I could just give you a key and the combination." Victor said.

That seemed like a big step. I mean, I know he wasn't asking me to move in with him, but giving me a key to his apartment was huge, right? I'd only known the guy a couple of months. He obviously saw my uncertainty, "Don't overthink that, Ava. You're already letting yourself in to my apartment, so why not have a key?"

"I'm sorry I broke in to your apartment." I said.

Victor smiled, "I don't mind, but for future reference if you'd called I could have actually come home to be with you."

"I'll call next time." I told him, nodding.

"What was so important that you needed to camp out in my apartment, anyway?" Victor asked.

"Uh, the heater broke at my apartment." I said quickly, avoiding his gaze momentarily.

"Want me to come over and fix it?" Victor asked.

I shook my head, "The building manager is doing it this afternoon."

Victor sat down beside me on the couch, "Does this mean you intent to spend the rest of the day in my apartment? Because I have no objection to that."

I smiled at the small smirk on his face, "Aren't you busy? You said to that guy on the phone that you had to look at something."

"I've got a few things to do." Victor admitted, "Why don't you take a shower whilst I sort them out, and then I'll make us some breakfast."

My smile grew. I'd half expected him to send me home, "Okay."

Victor's shower was luxurious, like the rest of his apartment. If I hadn't had the motivation of Victor waiting for me, I might have stayed in there all day. As it was I limited myself to twenty minutes before forcing myself out. The thick fluffy towel was a good enough reward.

I realised that I hadn't brought any make up with me, so I had to touch up what hadn't been destroyed by the shower and make do. I put on my clothes from yesterday and then made my way out to the main room.

Victor was still sat on the couch, bent over his laptop reading something. He heard me as I came over and shut the laptop.

"Good shower?" He asked.

"It was lovely." I told him, "You can keep working, if you want. I don't want to disturb you."

Victor shook his head, "Don't be silly. You know I'd rather spend time with you. This case isn't going anywhere."

I spent as long as I could justify with Victor, but eventually I had to go home or he'd get suspicious as to why I was so eager to be out of my apartment. Something in me wandered why I'd instinctively hid what was happening from Victor. It had never crossed my mind to tell him the truth. What did that say about me? About us?

I didn't know who was breaking in to my apartment, but there was a strong chance it had something to do with my past, and I couldn't tell Victor about any of that. Apart from the shame and the guilt I felt for that time in my life, he was an FBI agent. It would be his duty to report what I told him, and I didn't want to put him in a position where he had to choose between his job and me. Besides, I could get him in a lot of trouble, and I didn't want that either. Right now Victor seemed to be the only good thing I had going for me, and I really didn't want to screw it up.

~o.O.o~

"Knock, knock."

The person to whom the all-too familiar voice belonged to walked through my front door without waiting for me to answer.

"Damon." I greeted bluntly.

He sat down on my couch without being invited to, "Finn told me you went to see him."

I glared at the floor. Of course Finn would have told him, it was inevitable, but I hated the smug look plastered on Damon's face.

"I didn't want this to happen." I told him, "I still don't want back into that life."

"Then why did you go?" He asked.

"Because you gave me an ultimatum about my parents." I said, "And it wouldn't have been fair to decide without knowing what we'd been through."

"I'm still waiting on an answer for that ultimatum, you know." He said, "Time is ticking, Ava. I don't know how long they're going to keep your parents alive."

I leant against the kitchen counter and looked up at the ceiling, "You have to understand how complicated this is for me."

"I know. " Damon said. Suddenly the smugness and mocking was gone from him voice. It threw me a little - it had been so long since I'd had any kind of genuine interaction with Damon. "I do understand that this is hard for you, Ava, but I also know that you understand how important it is. We aren't asking you to come back, but we do need your help."

"I don't know, Damon." I said with a long sigh. I turned my back to him and started making coffee. I automatically remembered how he took his; two sugars and a dash of milk.

"You got a new coffee maker." Damon commented. I frowned at him, not liking that he knew my apartment well enough to notice.

"The old one broke." I said. Or rather, it was broken by whoever turned my apartment upside down.

Damon surveyed the apartment, "Did your lamp also break?"

"How often do you study my apartment, Damon?" I asked, "It's creepy."

Damon smirked at me, "I can't help but notice the details in my visions."

"But you _could_ help not spying on me in the first place." I shot back.

His smirk grew, "It's hard to resist."

He stood up and continued to study my apartment as he walked around, "You've got a lot of new stuff." He stopped at the door, where three new heavy locks had been installed. He turned and raised an eyebrow, "Your locks break too?"

I averted my eyes, trying to think of a believable reason for the new locks. Then I studied Damon. There was no way I could talk to Victor about the break ins, but could I tell Damon? He wasn't exactly a friend, confidante, or ally, but he might be able to help me. Especially if it _was_ something to do with my past.

"I've had a couple of break ins." I admitted.

Damon frowned, "What did they take?"

I shook my head, still confused by the whole thing, "Nothing. The first time they smashed all the lights in, and the second time they just trashed the place. I don't think it was ever meant to be a robbery, I think…"  
"What?" Damon prompted.

"I don't know. It's crazy." I said, "It just feels like someone is trying to send me a message. And not a friendly one."

"You think someone is trying to scare you?" Damon asked.

I shrugged, "Maybe. I don't know what else would explain it."

Damon was suddenly looking worried, "Have you got any idea who it is?"

I shook my head, "I can't think who would do it."

"I can." Damon said, "At least, I have an idea."

"Who?" I demanded.

"The gang that have your parents." Damon said, "They might be trying to get to you too."

"But I have nothing to do with my parents anymore." I said.

Damon shrugged, "I think they've been trying to reach me too. It's just an idea."

I felt panic rising within me, "How could they have found me? I changed my name. You said I was untraceable."

"We thought you were." Damon said, "But these people are good at what they do. They were good enough to get your parents."

"I thought I was safe here." I said. I didn't feel safe now. If they'd seen through my fake identity and found me, what else could they find out? Could they find my friends? Victor?

"I don't think we'll be safe until we take them out." Damon said.

I looked up at him, "How do we do that?"

"We start by getting your parents." Damon said, "Are you in?" I hesitated, "Ava, we have to stop this. I know we haven't been the best of friends the last few years, but I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

Despite everything, I trusted his words. Family was above everything for Damon and the others.

"I'm in."

* * *

 **A/N: Hola! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for the continued reviews/favourites/follows, please keep them up! I'm looking for more Finding Sky fan fiction to read, so if anyone has any good recommendations please let me know!**


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